Question for the LED Cob lighting experts---is this a good deal?

HotBunz said:

Those are clearly Intel CPU heatsinks with integrated cooling. The heatsinks are under the fans. Now unless the driver is remotely mounted there is no way there is a Meanwell driver under the black junction box. Not to mention there would need to be a driver or at least a 12v power supply for the fans in there as well.

Click to expand...

Re-read your own post, look at the second pic, then ammend your post. There is probably a small fan power supply in the box.

To the OP. The intel coolers would not be my first choice but if for whatever reason you can't make your own, can't do your own research or whatever then you can buy it and try it out. I wouldn't buy one though, unless you can find out exactly what's in it, and if that would suite your needs. Nobody here knows what your grow space or requirements are. If you're considering ordering 2 or 3 of these you should just look at making your own instead. The whole point of DIY LED is to get exactly what you need IMO, not just something off the shelf.

quiksilver123 said:

Hey guys,
So I've been slowly transitioning to LED lights. I have a Solarstorm and so far, so good.

I've been seeing many raves for COBs and came across a local guy selling them from parts that he's ordered. I've been thinking about ordering 2-3 and based on my initial research into the parts, it seems pretty good but I thought I'd see what any Cob/electrical experts might have to say about the parts and any potential issues.

Price he's asking is $280.

Below are some pics and here are the specs he's listed-

Each light covers 2'x4'.

Newest gen chips: Luminus or Vero.
All Meanwell drivers.
Active cooled, aluminum rails with 4 chips on each. 244watts.
9.0 par per sq. ft. @ 150-165+lm/w.
Dimensions: 38" x 4". Approx 10 lbs.

Click to expand...

maybe ask for the taken parts or partnumbers to look them up for yourself. maybe try to get a pic from the bottom to see the COBS and how they are mounted on the heatsink, maybe he just glued them down maybe he made some holes in the heatsink and screwed them down. would be good to know cause even if u take good parts but mount them bad u end up with crap.

OutlawGrower said:

There is probably a small fan power supply in the box.

Click to expand...

totally agree, there is enought space for a little 12V power supply, he also managed to get the total wireing through this box so it looks clean, but a look in this box would be nice, maybe there is a dead/living cat inside haha

As others mentioned the driver is under the black box, if they are actually vero 29 gen 7's (have them take a picture of the cob itself so you can see the pn for yourself) and mean well driver then I would say go for it. Not a bad deal. The hsf are just fine, being active cooled they will handle 50-75 watts no problem I would guess since most cpu's use 50-80 watts under load. Just have to watch for fans going out, it will certainly over heat if a fan goes out.

vero 29 ~$25 x 4 = 100

mean well $60-100 x 1 = 60 to 100

hsf $8-15 x 4 = 32 to 60

angle iron $10-15 if purchased through a metal supplier or somewhere like metaldepot.com

12v dc power supply for fans ~$15 bucks

wire + misc ~$10 bucks

looking around ~$300 just in parts.

Original OP here.

Thanks to EVERYONE for all the input and suggestions.

Just to answer what some people have suggested.

1. Yes, I'm sure I could ask for some more pics. In the meantime, here are all the pics he sent me including some of his results.

2. I also listed more of specs and more info that he had previously sent me down below . Some may have been repeated, but this is all the info I have so far.

***FROM HIM***
I am on like crop 5ish with LED. My current lights are 244 actual watts being drawn from wall (each).
I use 8 lights on TWO 4x8's (flood trays). Thats 4 light rails per tray. I recommend one light per 2x4 space for flowering. you can cover a bit more in veg. -Thats about 976 watts per 4x8.
I am running 3 4x8 and 1 4x4 -flood trays. All hydroton.
Buds were simply 1st class. 20+ years growing. Leds deliver. Low temps = low stress + high intensity = big tight bud flower clusters and amazing resin production. The one crop I grew (same genetics) between LED and HPS was some querkle and chernobyl.. The HPS was good.. The LED was stellar.

***FULL SPECS***
Newest gen chips: Luminus or Vero. All Meanwell drivers. Active cooled, aluminum rails with 4 chips on each. 244watts. 9.0 par per sq. ft. @ 150-165+lm/w. Dimensions: 38" x 4". Approx 10 lbs.

$280 each
$275 2+
$265 4+
$260 8+

These new gen chips beat the Cree used by growmau5 and realstyles on youtube by about 10-15%. -at substantially lower cost per sq ft. to light. Ex: Cree 3590 bar bar 2 years ago was $550- today v22 will outperform on a $260 light!

Prices cannot get much lower. LED chip prices have stabilized and they won't be getting cheaper soon. Want to make it yourself? Go price it out. Even better, I'll save you some time: about $215. BEFORE SHIPPING and LABOR. Not including tools you'll need. You have to order from a lot of sources too. Save the headache and buy my very well made lights.

LED lights higher upfront cost is quickly offset by savings in electricity, cooling, ventilation and bulb costs. Whats your ROI on using them? Do the math, please! LED is a no brainer with those numbers in your hand.

Using 8+ myself. Quality is outstanding. Beats HPS and DE hands down. There is no better choice for small indoor growers imo. No other lighting option makes sense comparatively.

I beat ANYONES prices. There's a few bad apples selling LEDs on craigslist. Don't fall for their BS trying to pawn off their old lights for double+ what they're worth.

All pics mine. Master Kush and Blackberry strains. Nirvana genetics. Legal MA grow (finally)

LED benefits:
-50%+ electric savings (considering ac and active cooling).
-Runs cool. You won't need to cool your room. No more AC for multi light rooms.
-No reflectors or hoods needed. No more hot air venting. No blower and timer needed to run it all. No more hanging hvac to vent!
-No special high voltage timers required.
-No more reflector glass cleaning.
-No lost light: LED COBs emit all the light right on your plants.
-Runs quiet. Runs reliably: 100k+ hours MTBF on LEDs and 7 year warranty on Meanwell drivers. Easy to service.
-No more bulb changes! LEDs don't dim <4% for their entire life.
-3000k-3500k-4000k spectrum chips: proven performers for growth and flower. No need to switch between MH and HPS bulbs anymore.
-Low weight and easy to hang. No heavy / bulky ballasts.
-Led allows closer placement to plants (14"-21") -> Less lost light, higher LUM on leaf.
-Dimmable on ballast. Flicker free and energy conscious.

So far, it seems that I ask him for-

1. To take some pics of the housing from the bottom to see about how the Cobs are mounted on the heatsink.

2. Part numbers

3. Ask how the heatsink is mounted

Anything else you think?

quiksilver123 said:

So far, it seems that I ask him for-

1. To take some pics of the housing from the bottom to see about how the Cobs are mounted on the heatsink.

2. Part numbers

3. Ask how the heatsink is mounted

Anything else you think?

Click to expand...

close up of the driver to shut these guys up lol

quiksilver123 said:

Original OP here.

Thanks to EVERYONE for all the input and suggestions.

Just to answer what some people have suggested.

1. Yes, I'm sure I could ask for some more pics. In the meantime, here are all the pics he sent me including some of his results.

2. I also listed more of specs and more info that he had previously sent me down below . Some may have been repeated, but this is all the info I have so far.

***FROM HIM***
I am on like crop 5ish with LED. My current lights are 244 actual watts being drawn from wall (each).
I use 8 lights on TWO 4x8's (flood trays). Thats 4 light rails per tray. I recommend one light per 2x4 space for flowering. you can cover a bit more in veg. -Thats about 976 watts per 4x8.
I am running 3 4x8 and 1 4x4 -flood trays. All hydroton.
Buds were simply 1st class. 20+ years growing. Leds deliver. Low temps = low stress + high intensity = big tight bud flower clusters and amazing resin production. The one crop I grew (same genetics) between LED and HPS was some querkle and chernobyl.. The HPS was good.. The LED was stellar.

***FULL SPECS***
Newest gen chips: Luminus or Vero. All Meanwell drivers. Active cooled, aluminum rails with 4 chips on each. 244watts. 9.0 par per sq. ft. @ 150-165+lm/w. Dimensions: 38" x 4". Approx 10 lbs.

$280 each
$275 2+
$265 4+
$260 8+

These new gen chips beat the Cree used by growmau5 and realstyles on youtube by about 10-15%.

-at substantially lower cost per sq ft. to light. Ex: Cree 3590 bar bar 2 years ago was $550- today v22 will outperform on a $260 light!

Prices cannot get much lower. LED chip prices have stabilized and they won't be getting cheaper soon. Want to make it yourself? Go price it out. Even better, I'll save you some time: about $215. BEFORE SHIPPING and LABOR. Not including tools you'll need. You have to order from a lot of sources too. Save the headache and buy my very well made lights.

LED lights higher upfront cost is quickly offset by savings in electricity, cooling, ventilation and bulb costs. Whats your ROI on using them? Do the math, please! LED is a no brainer with those numbers in your hand.

Using 8+ myself. Quality is outstanding. Beats HPS and DE hands down. There is no better choice for small indoor growers imo. No other lighting option makes sense comparatively.

I beat ANYONES prices. There's a few bad apples selling LEDs on craigslist. Don't fall for their BS trying to pawn off their old lights for double+ what they're worth.

All pics mine. Master Kush and Blackberry strains. Nirvana genetics. Legal MA grow (finally)

LED benefits:
-50%+ electric savings (considering ac and active cooling).
-Runs cool. You won't need to cool your room. No more AC for multi light rooms.
-No reflectors or hoods needed. No more hot air venting. No blower and timer needed to run it all. No more hanging hvac to vent!
-No special high voltage timers required.
-No more reflector glass cleaning.
-No lost light: LED COBs emit all the light right on your plants.
-Runs quiet. Runs reliably: 100k+ hours MTBF on LEDs and 7 year warranty on Meanwell drivers. Easy to service.
-No more bulb changes! LEDs don't dim <4% for their entire life.
-3000k-3500k-4000k spectrum chips: proven performers for growth and flower. No need to switch between MH and HPS bulbs anymore.
-Low weight and easy to hang. No heavy / bulky ballasts.
-Led allows closer placement to plants (14"-21") -> Less lost light, higher LUM on leaf.
-Dimmable on ballast. Flicker free and energy conscious.

Click to expand...

Very confusing.....he claims to build these with Vero or Luminus COB's but posts a video to the Cree cxb COB. That would be 3 different companies.

Also ask him what driver he is using.

just ask him what vero chip it is, and whats the part number, sounds like its a v22 though.

OutlawGrower said:

Re-read your own post, look at the second pic, then ammend your post. There is probably a small fan power supply in the box.

To the OP. The intel coolers would not be my first choice but if for whatever reason you can't make your own, can't do your own research or whatever then you can buy it and try it out. I wouldn't buy one though, unless you can find out exactly what's in it, and if that would suite your needs. Nobody here knows what your grow space or requirements are. If you're considering ordering 2 or 3 of these you should just look at making your own instead. The whole point of DIY LED is to get exactly what you need IMO, not just something off the shelf.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your input and suggestions Outlaw. To answer your questions, I had just started doing research for DIY Cobs when I came heard about this guy. I can completely understand what you mean by doing it yourself, but this guy seemed to know his stuff and based on my very preliminary research, he seemed to be using top shelf parts. For an extra $50 or so per light and considering that I'm not the handiest of people electrically, I'd rather devote my time to other facets.

But Thanks again!

pirg420 said:

just ask him what vero chip it is, and whats the part number, sounds like its a v22 though.

Click to expand...

Thanks...I'll add to that list. I plan to gather all of your valuable suggestions and questions here before asking him later tonight. I'd rather do it one shot than one question at a time.

OutlawGrower said:

Re-read your own post, look at the second pic, then ammend your post. There is probably a small fan power supply in the box.

To the OP. The intel coolers would not be my first choice but if for whatever reason you can't make your own, can't do your own research or whatever then you can buy it and try it out. I wouldn't buy one though, unless you can find out exactly what's in it, and if that would suite your needs. Nobody here knows what your grow space or requirements are. If you're considering ordering 2 or 3 of these you should just look at making your own instead. The whole point of DIY LED is to get exactly what you need IMO, not just something off the shelf.

Click to expand...

Not sure why I would need to reread my own post as there is nothing to amend in it. Like I stated there is ZERO way a MEANWELL driver(we all know how big even a small hlg-185h-c1400 driver is) and a 12v fan driver/power supply plus the wire junctions are all fitting into the 5"x5" box hence my thought that the driver must be remotely mounted

Questions so far-
1. To take some pics of the housing from the bottom to see about how the Cobs are mounted on the heatsink.
2. Part numbers
3. Ask how the heatsink is mounted
4. What vero chip it is and for the part number

thats a nice build but if you can build a frame theres probably about $125-$150 in parts in there

quiksilver123 said:

Questions so far-
1. To take some pics of the housing from the bottom to see about how the Cobs are mounted on the heatsink.
2. Part numbers
3. Ask how the heatsink is mounted
4. What vero chip it is and for the part number

Click to expand...

The answer to how the heatsink is mounted is simple. The heatsink and fan are an integated unit. You can see the heat sink(they are unanodized(silver) aluminum)under the fan and they are mounted together on the frame rails at 4 mounting points. I would like to know how they are mounting the COB to the heatsink. While the heatsink does come with a little dab of thermal paste they must be using sheet metal screws to thread in between the fins as the mounting pad area is very small.



The important questions are....

1) What is the exact chip they is being used? Saying it's a Vero or Cree is not specific enough.
2)Which Meanwell driver is being used for the COB's?

HotBunz said:

... there is ZERO way a MEANWELL driver(we all know how big even a small hlg-185h-c1400 driver is) and a 12v fan driver/power supply plus the wire junctions are all fitting into the 5"x5" box ...

Click to expand...

The driver looks like it is mounted on the underside of the fixture, not inside the box.

brewbeer said:

The driver looks like it is mounted on the underside of the fixture, not inside the box.

Click to expand...

There is something under there for sure. Seeing that the L extrusion used for the frame is mounted upside down is is half hiding what ever it is. It just that even with that said it's size and shape is not conducive to a Meanwell LED driver.

HotBunz said:

Now unless the driver is remotely mounted there is no way there is a Meanwell driver under the black junction box.

Click to expand...

looks like an HLG to me from the few pics we have

brewbeer said:

The driver looks like it is mounted on the underside of the fixture, not inside the box.

Click to expand...

OK so I found the craigslist post for the guy making these in the Boston MA Craigslist. Looking at his posting with the pictures that I can enlarge the driver is in fact a Meanwell HLG-185H-48A. Which leaves us to wonder what is the COB that is being used?

probably luminus cxm22 or vero22. i dont think a vero 29 would fit on there. what are the dimensions of that heatsink?